nosc87
This review contains spoilers
Okay this was something...let's go through the thing that might bother some people:
The horror of the game really comes from HOW the patients get treated and not from how mentally ill people are ~ScArY aND WEirD~.
The game punches up, not down. That's a rare one for horror games. :/ Sadly.
With this out of the way, here some warnings. Esp if you had some experience with mental institutions this can be highly triggering.
DO NOT play this game if the following is a trigger to you: sexual abuse, torture, medical malpractice, suicide and suicide attempts, rape, forced abortion, physical abuse, mental abuse, death, Lobotomy(!!!), downer ending.
I...think that covers it.
This game hits harder because it's not a fantasy horror game like Evil Within or Clock Tower or one that uses it's horror theme to talk about real-life topics (Silent Hill 2, The Cat Lady). This is the horror people have suffered through and ARE still suffering through. For me, that just hit harder.
Story is a bit confusing but I think I got it in the end. ;) Just made it engaging for me not to know for a long time what happened to whom, when, and why.
Emphasizing with the characters was easy thanks to the first-person narrator and the pieces of information that the game sprinkles around the building for the player to find. Not a lot lot of music in here but when it hits it hits hard.
It's an engaging game for a calm day when you are in a good mood for everyone who has the stomach for real-life horror.
The horror of the game really comes from HOW the patients get treated and not from how mentally ill people are ~ScArY aND WEirD~.
The game punches up, not down. That's a rare one for horror games. :/ Sadly.
With this out of the way, here some warnings. Esp if you had some experience with mental institutions this can be highly triggering.
DO NOT play this game if the following is a trigger to you: sexual abuse, torture, medical malpractice, suicide and suicide attempts, rape, forced abortion, physical abuse, mental abuse, death, Lobotomy(!!!), downer ending.
I...think that covers it.
This game hits harder because it's not a fantasy horror game like Evil Within or Clock Tower or one that uses it's horror theme to talk about real-life topics (Silent Hill 2, The Cat Lady). This is the horror people have suffered through and ARE still suffering through. For me, that just hit harder.
Story is a bit confusing but I think I got it in the end. ;) Just made it engaging for me not to know for a long time what happened to whom, when, and why.
Emphasizing with the characters was easy thanks to the first-person narrator and the pieces of information that the game sprinkles around the building for the player to find. Not a lot lot of music in here but when it hits it hits hard.
It's an engaging game for a calm day when you are in a good mood for everyone who has the stomach for real-life horror.
!!!YOU CAN POSSESS A CAT AND RUN AROUND MEWING INCESSANTLY AT EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE!!!
GAME OF THE YEAR!
Anyway, it was a decent enough game with a boring protag, decent side characters and game play that was engaging enough but sometimes frustrating.
Has a few actually scary moments but those rarely happen in the main plot.
GAME OF THE YEAR!
Anyway, it was a decent enough game with a boring protag, decent side characters and game play that was engaging enough but sometimes frustrating.
Has a few actually scary moments but those rarely happen in the main plot.
I kept on playing it because it was interesting enough and all but in the end...everything turns to shit and it doesn't matter what you did or how you did it. This is not Game of Thrones. It's just a funless mess. :/
2005
RDR's unknown bastard cousin that a lot of people forgot about.
The story was simple but engaging enough and hit a lot of Western story tropes. It's also the HAPPY cousin because it's mood it much more uplifting, even if it tries to be gritty and mean.
The story was simple but engaging enough and hit a lot of Western story tropes. It's also the HAPPY cousin because it's mood it much more uplifting, even if it tries to be gritty and mean.
Absolutely great game with a heartfelt story and twists I didn't see coming.
Absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves puzzle games.
Absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves puzzle games.
2015
I really had fun playing the game but couldn't finish it because of a few bugs that hindered me from making progress.
Also, the story is really forgettable. :/ That seemed like a waste.
Also, the story is really forgettable. :/ That seemed like a waste.
2017
I really disliked the first one to be honest.
Weirdly enough: this one is a great improvement to the first one and fixes a lot of the beef I had with the first one!
The gameplay is better! Our protag got a backstory that matters! The lady cop DOES SHIT IN THE MAIN GAME GASP! The enemies are memorable and fun!
Sadly, this one didn't get an artbook which is a shame because of all the beautiful settings and scenes it puts the player in. It also tries itself on an actual plot twist that kind of works and had me at one point even emotionally invested. It takes itself not as seriously when it comes to its plot, which doesn't mean that it leaks heart.
But at this point I call fo every videogame dad to chip their kid and put them on a leash. I'm sick of saving your crotch goblins! Next time, just make a new one! :/
...This was a joke. I like bad jokes. Sorry.
So yeah, if you played the first one and didn't like it this one is actually better and it's sad to say we will probably never get a third one. :/
Weirdly enough: this one is a great improvement to the first one and fixes a lot of the beef I had with the first one!
The gameplay is better! Our protag got a backstory that matters! The lady cop DOES SHIT IN THE MAIN GAME GASP! The enemies are memorable and fun!
Sadly, this one didn't get an artbook which is a shame because of all the beautiful settings and scenes it puts the player in. It also tries itself on an actual plot twist that kind of works and had me at one point even emotionally invested. It takes itself not as seriously when it comes to its plot, which doesn't mean that it leaks heart.
But at this point I call fo every videogame dad to chip their kid and put them on a leash. I'm sick of saving your crotch goblins! Next time, just make a new one! :/
...This was a joke. I like bad jokes. Sorry.
So yeah, if you played the first one and didn't like it this one is actually better and it's sad to say we will probably never get a third one. :/
2014
Holeeee shiiit...So I was ready to love this game but it just spat in my face and smashed my face in beautiful setpieces.
I'm fine with the last part, though.
I'm happy owner of the Art Book which was totally worth it's money! The body horror is actually quite creative and I love seeing how some monsters evolved over time and others got dropped (or put in the DLC later).
This is no Silent Hill, even if it looks like one sometimes. It's more akin to Resident Evil and I say that as someone who not a fan of the franchise but gets why people like it. RE leans into the story it tells: is it goofy as hell? Well yeah, but we know that and will treat it as such! Is it pure horror that only wants to terrify you and make you feel small and helpless? Well, then we're going to lean into that!
Ew doesn't really do that. At least, not for me. The story is bananas but it tries so desperately to be taken seriously that it gets annoying fast. It promises complexity, where is only simplicity. If I would retell what happens in the game, I would be finished quite fast. If I put in every story information in that the game throws at you then it might get more complex but that doesn't mean it gets good...just irritating.
I never really liked the protag and had too much fun making fun of him and his definitely ex-boyfriend Jojo. I have also too much to call the short bit where you play him "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure" but that's not only interesting for the shitty humour faction of this site, I'm afraid. :(
Anyway, the protag guy had a drinking problem and I don't know if he was purposefully that dumb or if it was just the plot needing him to be like that.
There is also a lady cop who doesn't do much because this is what the DLC was for...yay. We have to save her.
SO be fair, we also have to safe Jojo.
!Equality!
Having to chase another character through the whole game was also not that great of a move because at one point it would have made more sense to just let the guy go and LEAVE. Honestly, bitch survived fine without me...! I'm sure the only reason he was in danger was because I was near...!
I also don't like the "mentally unstable, childlike character with secret knowledge that gets used as a plot device" shit that esp. horror games like to pull. Oh well.
The gameplay is clunky and sometimes quite unfair and the occasional horror that came up was either thanks to my lack of ammo of because the body horror was taken to an extreme again. Not a good one.
This game is also responsible for my severe dislike of black haired dead women. You have to fight her quite often and the fights are annoying. Not creepy.
There are some scenes that are quite beautiful and the lighting is also really, really effective. I love the OST! I liked some of the places I walked through or some small scenes that happened but didn't do much storywise.
The Nurse also doesn't make sense. Had the feeling she was there for the people who were into nurses. :/ Thats fine. Could have been weirder.
I'm fine with the last part, though.
I'm happy owner of the Art Book which was totally worth it's money! The body horror is actually quite creative and I love seeing how some monsters evolved over time and others got dropped (or put in the DLC later).
This is no Silent Hill, even if it looks like one sometimes. It's more akin to Resident Evil and I say that as someone who not a fan of the franchise but gets why people like it. RE leans into the story it tells: is it goofy as hell? Well yeah, but we know that and will treat it as such! Is it pure horror that only wants to terrify you and make you feel small and helpless? Well, then we're going to lean into that!
Ew doesn't really do that. At least, not for me. The story is bananas but it tries so desperately to be taken seriously that it gets annoying fast. It promises complexity, where is only simplicity. If I would retell what happens in the game, I would be finished quite fast. If I put in every story information in that the game throws at you then it might get more complex but that doesn't mean it gets good...just irritating.
I never really liked the protag and had too much fun making fun of him and his definitely ex-boyfriend Jojo. I have also too much to call the short bit where you play him "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure" but that's not only interesting for the shitty humour faction of this site, I'm afraid. :(
Anyway, the protag guy had a drinking problem and I don't know if he was purposefully that dumb or if it was just the plot needing him to be like that.
There is also a lady cop who doesn't do much because this is what the DLC was for...yay. We have to save her.
SO be fair, we also have to safe Jojo.
!Equality!
Having to chase another character through the whole game was also not that great of a move because at one point it would have made more sense to just let the guy go and LEAVE. Honestly, bitch survived fine without me...! I'm sure the only reason he was in danger was because I was near...!
I also don't like the "mentally unstable, childlike character with secret knowledge that gets used as a plot device" shit that esp. horror games like to pull. Oh well.
The gameplay is clunky and sometimes quite unfair and the occasional horror that came up was either thanks to my lack of ammo of because the body horror was taken to an extreme again. Not a good one.
This game is also responsible for my severe dislike of black haired dead women. You have to fight her quite often and the fights are annoying. Not creepy.
There are some scenes that are quite beautiful and the lighting is also really, really effective. I love the OST! I liked some of the places I walked through or some small scenes that happened but didn't do much storywise.
The Nurse also doesn't make sense. Had the feeling she was there for the people who were into nurses. :/ Thats fine. Could have been weirder.
2018
Like it's predecessor, NG has a very engaging Plot and eliminates a few of it's former 'flaws' while filing off a bit on it'S gameplay.
Noticeable is for example that every character has flaws that let them be morally gray instead of completely innocent. Tinging them gray fits the morally ambiguous world they live in and fits the backstory of the protag quite nicely.
I could have done without the sister needing to be saved but here we are...I could also have done without the constant sexualisation of female characters in situation that are really not calling for that right now, but it's a japanese game and I'm not the usual target group so whatever.
Stuff like that took me out of the game because it didn't fit it's serious tone.
I also had quite to laugh at the evil motive of our main antagonist. When you get there, you know what I mean. It's like - I was afraid of her for a second and then THAT happened I was like "...all of this....so you could...do that....? You could have gotten that WAY easier, girl..."
So that didn't work for me and kinda ruined the ending a bit. :/ I mean: she was still a thread but she wanted was....well....at least it was unique! Never seen THAT motive I think! :/
I also liked the limited cast! At least when it comes to your party. That also helps to flesh out these characters and the world they and the protag live in. I got the feeling that this character had a life with friends and family before he got dropped into this shit.
This has of course a lot to do with him not suffering from amnesia like in "Death Mark" but even after that protag got his memory back, he never felt that real to me.
Anyway. Still a good game with too much naked flesh when it should have been spooky and a weird ending.
Noticeable is for example that every character has flaws that let them be morally gray instead of completely innocent. Tinging them gray fits the morally ambiguous world they live in and fits the backstory of the protag quite nicely.
I could have done without the sister needing to be saved but here we are...I could also have done without the constant sexualisation of female characters in situation that are really not calling for that right now, but it's a japanese game and I'm not the usual target group so whatever.
Stuff like that took me out of the game because it didn't fit it's serious tone.
I also had quite to laugh at the evil motive of our main antagonist. When you get there, you know what I mean. It's like - I was afraid of her for a second and then THAT happened I was like "...all of this....so you could...do that....? You could have gotten that WAY easier, girl..."
So that didn't work for me and kinda ruined the ending a bit. :/ I mean: she was still a thread but she wanted was....well....at least it was unique! Never seen THAT motive I think! :/
I also liked the limited cast! At least when it comes to your party. That also helps to flesh out these characters and the world they and the protag live in. I got the feeling that this character had a life with friends and family before he got dropped into this shit.
This has of course a lot to do with him not suffering from amnesia like in "Death Mark" but even after that protag got his memory back, he never felt that real to me.
Anyway. Still a good game with too much naked flesh when it should have been spooky and a weird ending.
Really good Visual Novel with hauntings that actually are scary because all of the ghosts have understandable backstories.
My only problem was that there were too many side characters that remained kind of bland because you don't spend much time with them.
Some of the characters are needed to win the boss fight of every chapter and I would have appreciated if the game had told me this. First time that happened to me, I didn't save right before the boss (yeah, yeah, I know...) and had to redo an hour of game play just to get back to the boss fight - this time with the right side character.
Some of the stuff you have to find is also really well hidden or only appears after certain scenes. So having to meticulously drag your cursors around the same four+ pics became quickly a drag. Esp. with the Forest setting. :/
But all of that was fine, when it manages again to make me shudder and not wanting to watch at the screen again because of the shit it was showing me.
I will probably have that military song from the last chapter in my head forever. It's creepy, it's effective and way too catchy. Damn. :/
There are a few scenes where they just HAD to show women in underwear while in very unsexy situations.
I don't get why people apparently like that but here we are. :/ It's not as bad as with the other Visual Novel they put out but it did take me out of the game, when it happened.
There are jump scares but they don't happen too often. The focus is really on building up the horror of the story you are playing through.
If you have the special edition, you also get a Death Mark tattoo. Non permanent of course.
Or at least I hope so! :/ I mean *I* am not gonna push my luck here!
My only problem was that there were too many side characters that remained kind of bland because you don't spend much time with them.
Some of the characters are needed to win the boss fight of every chapter and I would have appreciated if the game had told me this. First time that happened to me, I didn't save right before the boss (yeah, yeah, I know...) and had to redo an hour of game play just to get back to the boss fight - this time with the right side character.
Some of the stuff you have to find is also really well hidden or only appears after certain scenes. So having to meticulously drag your cursors around the same four+ pics became quickly a drag. Esp. with the Forest setting. :/
But all of that was fine, when it manages again to make me shudder and not wanting to watch at the screen again because of the shit it was showing me.
I will probably have that military song from the last chapter in my head forever. It's creepy, it's effective and way too catchy. Damn. :/
There are a few scenes where they just HAD to show women in underwear while in very unsexy situations.
I don't get why people apparently like that but here we are. :/ It's not as bad as with the other Visual Novel they put out but it did take me out of the game, when it happened.
There are jump scares but they don't happen too often. The focus is really on building up the horror of the story you are playing through.
If you have the special edition, you also get a Death Mark tattoo. Non permanent of course.
Or at least I hope so! :/ I mean *I* am not gonna push my luck here!
My introduction into Lovecraft horror!
I loved the sanity meter and the characters, even though we never spend too much time with them.
Soundtrack was great and is to this day stuck in my head when I think about the game, even though it's minimalistic in most cases.
Some of the scares are still unmatched for me ("Thanks for playing the demo!" -"THANKS FOR PLAYING THE W H A T ? ! ") not only because of the occasional 4thw all breaking. :)
I loved the sanity meter and the characters, even though we never spend too much time with them.
Soundtrack was great and is to this day stuck in my head when I think about the game, even though it's minimalistic in most cases.
Some of the scares are still unmatched for me ("Thanks for playing the demo!" -"THANKS FOR PLAYING THE W H A T ? ! ") not only because of the occasional 4thw all breaking. :)
2013
I barely remember this one which is a shame because it'S pretty and the OST was nice - but the story was kind of lackluster even for a Suda51 game.
Ok, there's only so many chopped-up women I can stomach without thinking the game has an issue. Even though they always killed one and the same person. Kinda makes it worse though.
The game has its charms with weird 2D-sequences, the OST, the sometimes funny dialogue and the weird storybooks you find in-game.
And even though the game seems to be self-aware of its own pulpiness, it's not aware of other things it did, that I really hated: sexualizing, killing, and - third time's the charm - CHOPPING UP the main female character. I get storywise why - but that story was a choice Suda51 made and that I had to play through to move on in this game.
There's too much of the old "woman dies so the man gets something to do" going on for me, which is why I didn't finish it.
Got to the last bit of the game and called it quits then.
Looking up the ending I'm glad I did.
The game has its charms with weird 2D-sequences, the OST, the sometimes funny dialogue and the weird storybooks you find in-game.
And even though the game seems to be self-aware of its own pulpiness, it's not aware of other things it did, that I really hated: sexualizing, killing, and - third time's the charm - CHOPPING UP the main female character. I get storywise why - but that story was a choice Suda51 made and that I had to play through to move on in this game.
There's too much of the old "woman dies so the man gets something to do" going on for me, which is why I didn't finish it.
Got to the last bit of the game and called it quits then.
Looking up the ending I'm glad I did.
2019
Look: it's pretty, the Soundtrack is great and I had fun playing it.
But the amount of cutscenes are not for me and I'm not THAT interested in the gameplay that I'll finish the game.
But I get why people like it. I also get why others don't.
Anyway, thanks for introducing me to "Low Roar", I really like his stuff.
But the amount of cutscenes are not for me and I'm not THAT interested in the gameplay that I'll finish the game.
But I get why people like it. I also get why others don't.
Anyway, thanks for introducing me to "Low Roar", I really like his stuff.
2013
I never finished it because it gave me migraines.
Gameplay worked fine for me. Genre not so much. Why give me this beautiful scenery when I don't get time to look or even interact with it.
Game felt shallow to me and I never really got the hype. Even after reading the spoilers.
ESPECIALLY after reading the spoilers.
Not my game. I'm fine with that.
Gameplay worked fine for me. Genre not so much. Why give me this beautiful scenery when I don't get time to look or even interact with it.
Game felt shallow to me and I never really got the hype. Even after reading the spoilers.
ESPECIALLY after reading the spoilers.
Not my game. I'm fine with that.